Furnace-hearth.



1.\ H. KLEPINGER @L F. R. CORW|N.

FURNACE HEARTH.

APPLICATmN HLED DEc.17,1914.

1,140,042. Patcnted May 18, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET X.

I El" f M ATTOLWEY. K

J. H. KLEPINGER & F. R. CORWIN. FURNACE HEARTH.

APPLICATION mfp 1150.17, 1914.

1,140,042. Putened May 18, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

VUNITED STATES PATENT Ormea.

JOHN KLEPINGER, OF GREAT FALLS, MONTANA, AND FRANK n. coRWIN, or

" DOUGLAS, ARIZONA.

\ FURNACE-HEARTH.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, JOHN H. KLEPINGM:

and FRANK y R. ConwlN, citizens of the United States, residing,' respectively,. at lGrreat Falls, county of Cascade, State of yMontana, and `at Douglas, in the county of Cochise, State of Arizona, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnace-Hearths, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference J being had to the accompanying drawings,

forming ya part hereof.

Our-invention has relation to lmprovements inhearths for roasting (and other) furnaces; and 1t consists 1n the novel features.

lofvconstruction more fully set forth inthe specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a middle vertical' section through a conventional McDou- 4gal roasting furnace showing our invention X v applied thereto; Fig. 2is a top plan of Fig. 3, traversed by the rabble shaft; andy Fig. 7 is an edge view of Fig. 6.

-The presentl invention is primarily directed to hearths of roasting furnaces of the L McDougal or circular type (though obviously not restricted either to this type of furnace or to hearths of/roastmg furnaces specifically) and has for its object (l) to eliminate the high cost of repairs that are A always in evidence where brick hearths are in use,- (2) to increase the eiliciency of the roaster, (3) to effect a ready removal of heavy incrustations which may form on the roofs of the hearths, and (4) to provide a hearth'thlt is practically indestructible.

Up to the present time it has been the general vpractice to construct these hearths of soinc form Vof molded block, usually briclc E or tile.l For the construction of such hearths a number of different forms of brick or blocks are necessary, and the` work of inst-11h ling requires the services of skilled mechanics,all of which materially addsto their cost. Such av hearth beingcomposed of a Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedyMaylS, 1,915.

Application led December 17, 1.914. Serial 110.7317504.

large number of integral parts, and depending for its stability upon the keying of the arch, is subject to failure by collapsing in case a small part of it should become loose or fall out. Moreover, the parts of which the hearth is constructed are seldom of uniform size or shape, thus making uneven. joints and presenting a rough surface on the face of the hearth. rThese defects arel ob-l jectionable since they not only tend to Weaken the hearth butto increase the growth of lumps 'or clinkers on the underside of the hearth at points above the drop holes where hot or partially fused particles of ore are` usually projected against-it'by the current of air or gas passing through the furnace. 1n the operation of such furnace it becomes necessary to remove .these clinkersfrom time to time, the'joints and rough surfaces of the hearth presenting points to which the accretion becomes firmly attached; and often the hearth is damaged in their removal and in time may become entirely wrecked or require extensive repairs.

The improved hearth (andI furnace lining ldrop holes molded in place during construction. The advantages of such a construction Will be fully apparent from a detailed description of the invention, herein shown lembodied in a roasting'furnace of thecircularv type. In detail the invention may be described as follows:

Referring to the drawings, F represents thefiirnace, hthe several hearths on which the material is treated, the material dropping from the upper hearth successively through the several hearths until it reaches the bottom hearth of the series.

The material treated is stirred and moved along the hearths by suitable rakes l carried by the rabble arms 2 which extend over' the hearths from the central rotatable rabble shaft S, the rakes moving the material toward the center Ofone hearth where it discharges through drop holes o ontolthe hearth beneathxthe rakes inthe second hearth moving' the. material toward the circumference v8() if desired) which we propose to construct,

llt)

or radially outward where it discharges through the drop holes 0 onto the next hearth, on which the material again moves toward the central drop holes, and so on Ithrough the series, as fully understood inv the art.

For our present purpose we may assume that the furnace is provided with a concrete or equivalent molded lining L made either of one piece or of two or more sections (that is innnaterial), said lining serving as the support for the several hearths. The hearth is composed of concrete C in which there are embedded above the bottom surface and below' the top, series of concentric rings 3, 3, which are tied. by radially disposed iron rods 4 whose terminals are hooked over the inner and outer ring of each series respectively. p

These rings and rods serve asy reinforcing members for the concrete; and" in' practice the hearths are made by first building. suitable forms in the furnace, then arranging the reinforcing rods and rings, and when these are in place, pouring the concrete into the forms and smoothing the surface with a straightedge to give the desired thickness to the hearth. After the concrete has set thoroughly, theforms are removed and the hearths are ready for use.

As well understood in the art, the centers ofthe successive hearths are provided with openings for the free passage of the rabble shaft S, these openings on alternate hearths serving usually the purpose of drop holes may pln'sue their proper circuitous path or circulation through the hearths from bottom up; and in the present embodiment of our invention we cover up these central openings with fire-brick or concrete'sector blocks :"i supported at their outer ends on the inclined or conical ledge n bounding the opening, an'd at their inner ends between thc annular ribs t, of the ring through which the rabble shaft passes. Of course, and as well understood in the art. thes central openings subserve :mother obvious purpose, to wit. to all'ord ready access to the shaft at any time, to insert and remove the shaft, the latter being usually provided with Ts or other projections to which the rabl.ile`:'irn1s are secured. ly removingr the sectors o, it is obvious that the shaft becomes readily accessible and the hearth proper need not in any wise be disturbed. 'lhesc sectors :3 may for convenience be collectively termed as the removable section of the hearth, the monolithic feature of which is directed to that portionover which the charge in the main is dis.-l

tributed during treatment.

In the present embodiment of our invention the hearth is arched, and in order to afford a plane surface of support for the charge, we preferably deposit on the hearthA a layer of a suitable tiller d, such as lime rock or lits equi 'alent, over the lsurface of v which the lower ends of the rakes ly freelyv principle. The term concrete is here used in its vbroadest sense as covering a mass formed by concretion or coalescence of separate particles of matter in one body, and not specifically a mass formed by hydraulic cement, sand, gravel or stone, but of. course including the latter. The manner of' reinforcing the concrete as here shown may likewise be 'departed from without affecting the nature or spirit of our invention. The monolith feature or unit is to be understood as extending over the whole or a major portion of what constitutes the available hearth surface. This monolith may of course be supportedotherwise than by the lining of the furnace. v

Having described our invention, what We claim iszl. In a furnace, a hearth comprising a.

concrete monolithic unit extending over the major portion of the hearth arca and provided. with openings for the dischargev of the material treated.

2. In a furnace, a hearth comprising concrete monolithic unit extending over the arca of the hearth and provided with open-l r ings for the discharge of the material treated. j

3. ln a furnace of the character described, a central rabble shaft, a monolithic hearth maintained about the .shaft and having n passageway for the shaft, the walls of the passage heilig spaced from the shaft, and suitable removable sectors closing said passage around the shaft and supported at one end by the walls of the opening formed i the hearth.

l. In a furnace of the character described,

an arched monolithic'hearth provided with a cent-ral passage-way or opening, series of concentric rings embedded therein at points above the bottom surface and below the top surface respectively, radially disposed rodsv tral opening bounded b embedded in the hearth and havin their terminals hooked over the inner an @liter rings of each series respectively, and means forfsupporting the hearth at points along the circumference thereof, 5. In a furnace of the character described, a monolithic hearth provided with a cena downwardly inclined wall, said Wall orming a ledge for the support of the outer ends of suitable sector blocks. Y'

6. In a furnace of the character described, a monolithic hearth composed substantially 'of a mixture of sand, .crushed slag and ccment in proportions to set and harden, and 15 JOHN H. KLEPINGER.

R. CORWIN.`

Witnesses for John H. Klepinger:

G. LUX, A' N 161.0 W. KEYES.

Witnesses for rank R. Corwin:

M. O, WnDEsEN, 1R. PERRIN. 

